Grooms the best men at Symond nuptials

USUALLY at a Sydney society wedding it's the bride who is the centre of attention, but at Aussie Home Loans founder John Symond's $60 million Point Piper mansion on Saturday night, it was all about the grooms.

Symond's son Stephen and his partner of five years, marketing executive Ed Smith, threw what they described as a wedding for more than 200 friends and family. And while it may not have been a legally binding marriage, the ceremony was as heartfelt as any.

It was the same location where Ed proposed to Stephen on his birthday in 2011, presenting him with a sparkling Graff diamond ring, with John Symond's blessing. Both Stephen and Ed were accompanied by a wedding party comprising two men and two women, including Stephen's sister Deborah and Ed's brother James. The wedding party, including the women, all wore dinner suits. Among the guests were Skye Leckie, Deborah Hutton and celebrity gardener Brendan Moar.

The couple decided to mix tradition by singing to the strains of Rufus Wainright's Hallelujah, and then having a reading from Dr Seuss's Great Places as guests sipped 1996 Dom Perignon.

Advertisement

The couple sealed their wedding with a kiss as their guests roared with delight.

No expense had been spared, with an ''enchanted forest'' set up around the gardens of the home, while the ballroom had been filled with white hydrangeas.

Stephen's dinner suit was designed for him by Tom Ford, while his girls wore bespoke dinner suits designed for them in Sydney by Joe Farage. The sit-down degustation dinner that followed the ceremony was planned by The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide two-hatted chef Justin North.

Conservative estimates put the wedding budget at about $300,000, which included a visual spectacular of lighting effects, dancers and culminated in an extravagant fireworks display over Sydney Harbour. The couple had also flown in twice Grammy nominated R&B singer Kelis to perform at the wedding.